Mineral mining and loading machine having a transverse conveyor on a vertically adjustable mining head



NG MACHINE HAVING VERTICALLY HEAD R. CAMERON MINERAL MINING AND LOADI ATRANSVERSE CONVEYOR ON A ADJUSTABLE MINING Sept. 26, 1961 Sept. 26, 1961R. CAMERON 3,001,777

MINERAL MINING AND LOADING MACHINE HAVING A TRANsvERsE coNvEYoR oN AVERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE MINING HEAD Filed April l5, 1958 2 Sheets-SheetI 2INVENTOR. RONALD CAMERON BMW r ATTORNEY` United States Patent Office3,lllll,l77 Patented Sept. 26, 1961 3,061,777 MINING AND LOADING MACHINEHAVING A TRANSVERSE CONVEYOR N A VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE G HEAD RonaldCameron,` Cappielow, Greenock, Scotland, as-

srgnor to Joy Manutacturing Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation ofPennsylvania Filed Apr. 1S, 1958, Ser. No. 728,790 8 Claims. (Cl. 262-9)MINERAL This invention has reference to mineral mining and loadingmachines and more particularly to machines oi the kind provided with amobile base and a mining head extending forwardly from one or both endsthereof, said head, or each head, embodying mineral cutting ordisintegrating mechanism which, as the mobile base is advanced, cuts theroof, door and side wall of the mineral face.

The present invention has ,for its object to provide a mineral miningand loading machine of the kind set forth with simpliiied means `wherebythe cut or disintegrated material is more quickly discharged from themachine to be loaded out, as for example, onto a conventional faceconveyor. Another object is to provide an improved reversible mining andloading machine having a cutting and disintegrating head mechanism ateach end of the mobile base, whereby need for turning the machine aroundat the end of each cutis eliminated. A further object is to provide in'nn-proved double ended reversible mining and loading machine, whereinthe trailing head mechanism may be collapsed to facilitate machinemovement. Yet another object is to provide an improved mining andloading machine having a tiltable` cutting and disintegrating headmechanism mounted at the front end of the machinebase and carryingconveying means whereby the disintegrated mineral may lbedischargedlaterally in advance, of the base. A still further objectistoprovide an improved mining and loading machine of the reversibledouble ended type wherein both heads are tiltable and collapsible, andeach carry conveying means. These and other objects and advantages ofthe invention will, however, hereinafter more fully appear.

According to the present a mineral mining and loading machine comprisesa mobile base, a mining head extending forwardly from one or both endsof the mobile base, each head embodying cutting or disintegratingmechanism which removes the material from the mineral face to form apassageway in the mine vein, which passageway permits the machine toadvance, means whereby the head, or each head, can be adjustedvertically relative to the mobile base,

and a transversely extending conveyor carried by the head, or each head,which conveyor is such that it will receive and support the cut ordisintegrated material discharged thereto from the cutting ordisintegrating mechanismand convey such material so that it isdischarged laterally ofthe machine path in ad vance of the mobile base.

The transversely extending conveyors may take many forms. Thus, forillustrative purposes, they may be in the form of endless chains withights extending between the chains at spaced distances apart and a fixeddeck over which the upper run of the ights pass to scrape the mineraldeposited thereon and discharge said material later-v ally of themachine. Or said conveyors may be in the form of endless belt conveyors.Or the conveyors may be of the type known as apron conveyors.` In allcases the said conveyors must be such that they will receive, supportand convey the material laterally in advance of the mobile base.

ln the accompanying drawings there is shown for purposes of illustrationone form which the invention may assume in practice. l

ln the drawings:

FG. l is a plan view of one construction of a mineral mining and loadingmachine in accordancewith the invention;

FIG. 2 is a right;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of FIG. l; and

FlG. 4 is a section on a larger scale on of FIG. 3.

The mining and loading machine is herein for illustrative purposes ofthe longwall type, and in the drawings 1t? denotes a mobile base whichis here shown mounted on crawler treads l1 by which the .mining andloading machine can be advanced in either direction. Projectinglongitudinally forwardly from each end of the base is a frame 12pivotally supported by the base as at 13 whereby by tilting movements itcan be raised and lowered relative to the base in a vertical plane.

Each frame carries a mining head in eral cutting or disintegratingmechanism. nisms may assume various forms, and in the embodiment of theinvention shown each such mechanism comprises rotary cutters 14 mountedon horizontal parallel shafts l5 extending longitudinally of the mobilebase and driven by any suitable power unit carried by the mobile base,and also endless loop cutter chains 16 yarranged to travel in suitableguides 17 and to cut the plane roof, licor and side wall of the mineralface. The rotary cutters and the chain cutters `are raised and loweredrelative to the base by tilting of their respective frames. Locatedimmediately to the rear of the rotary and chain cutters and supported byeach frame is a transverse conveyor 18 which may be of any suitableform. In the embodiment of the invention shown each conveyor comprises aiixed transversely extending deck 19, endless chains 20 positioned ateach side of the deck and a series of flights 21 extending between thechains, the upper run to bear on and to travel over said deck. Eachconveyor is driven by a t bular driving shaft 22 on which are fastenedsprocket wheels 23 over which are passed the chains 20. Each conveyor isslightly inclined upwardly towards one end thereof and the deck isprovided with a correspondingly inclined extension 24. This end of theconveyor consttutes the discharge end.

When mining mineral such as coal the machine can be advanced in eitherdirection along the longwall face, the leading rotary cutters and chaincutters continuously cutting and breaking, as the machine advances, thefloor, roof and side wall of the coal face and the co-al boundedthereby. The cut or disintegrated coal or other mineral immediatelypasses or falls onto the deck it is pushed by the upper run of flightsto be discharged at the side of the conveyor front elevation of FIG. llookingV to the the line 4-4 the form ot minin advance` ofthe mobilebase. rl'he disintegrated coal is discharged onto a conventional faceconveyor laid parallel with the face outside. of the machine path alongthe face. Evidently the mineral may be discharged onto other forms ofconveying means,` in a well-known manner.

As a result of this invention an improved miningand loading machine isprovided having a mobile base carrying an adjustable cuttinganddistintegrating head which in turn carries conveying means wherebythe mineral dis` lodged and disintegrated by he head may be conveyedlaterally out of the machine path. By mountin-gth'eA conveyor on thetiltable head in advance ofthe base, theA disintegrated mineral may bedischarged laterally in ad.- vance of the base. The provisionk of atiltable cutting and: head at each endl ofthe base eliminates the needfor turning the machine around at the end of each. cut. By collapsingthe trailing head, compactness is obf tained and, during travelingIabout the mine, operation is.

made more easy with both heads collapsed.` Fljhese and,U

Such mechay of flights being arranged 19 from which 4 other advantagesof the invention will be clearly apparent the chamber transversely ofthe head to one Side thereof to those skilled in the art. in advance ofsaid mobile base.

While there is in this application specifically described 5. A mineralmining and loading machine comprising, one form which the invention mayassume in practice, it a mobile base, mining heads pivotally secured tothe ends will be understood that this form of the same is shown for 5 ofsaid base respectively and vertically movable with redeparting from itsspirit or the scope of the appended or dismtegratmg means for removingmaterial from a claims mineral face in the direction the machine at themoment What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters is advancingto provide a passageway in the material be- Patent is: ing mined topermit the machine to advance, means for l. A mineral mining and loadingmachine comprising adjusting said heads vertically relative to saidmobile a mobile base, a mining head pivotally secured to said baserespectively, and a transversely extending conveyor mobile baseyadjacent one end thereof to be vertically carried by each of the headsrespectively and operative movable with respect thereto, said mininghead extending to convey the cut or disintegrated material laterally tooutwardly beyond said one end of said mobile base, said one side of theadvancing end of said mobile base head having a cutting ordisintegrating means ioi iemov- 6 In a longwall mining machine, a mobilebase movmg material from the mineral face to provide a passageable aiOnga Path Parallel With the face Of a mlne Vein way in the material beingmined to permit the machine a head mechanism pivotally mounted on saidbase to to advance, means for adjusting said head vertically relatiltrelative thereto about a transverse axis located near tive to saidmobile base, `a conveyor carried by said head the forward portion ofsaid base, said head mechanism and positioned on said head immediatelyto the rear o extending forwardly in advance of said base and havingsaid cutting means for receiving the disinteorated inatemineraldisintegratin 7 means for disintegrating the minrial, and said conveyorextending transversely of said eral to form the roof, sidewall and floorof a passageway mobile base to convey such material to one side or saidinside 0f and Parallel Wlh the veln face, meanS fOr nlfmachine inadvance ef said niebile basi-, ing said head mechanism relative to saidbase and for 2. A mineral mining and loading machine comprising holdingthe same in dilferent titlted positions, said head a mobile base, amining head pivotally secured to said meChaniSm having a ChamberdiSPOSed rearwardly 0f mobile base adjacent one end tneieef in bevertically said disintegrating means transversely between the sidesmovable with respect thereto, said mining head extending 0f the latterfor receiving the dislodged and disintegrated outwardly beyond said oneend of said mobile base, said mineral and a transverse Conveyorextending along the head having a cutting or disintegiann, means forrebottom of said chamber for receiving the disintegrated moving materialfrom the mineral face te provide a mineral and for conveying the sametransversely of the passageway in the material being mined to permit thehead mechanism to discharge at one side of the machine machine toadvance, means for adjusting said head veiti- 85 path. cally relative tosaid mobile base, a conveyor carried by 7- A mineral mining and loadingmHChlne Comprising said head and positioned on said head immediately toa mobile base, a mining head pivotally secured to said the rear of Saidcuttlng means for receiving the dsmobile base adjacent one end thereofto be vertically integrated material and said conveyor extendingtransmovable With respect thereto, Said mining head extend` versely ofsaid mobile base to convey such material to Al) ing outwardly beyondSaid one end of said mobile base, one side of said head in advance ofsaid mobile base Said head having a Cutting 01' dlslntegrallng meanS fOrA mineral mining and leading machine Comprising, removing material fromthe mineral face to provide a outwardly beyond said one end of saidmobile base, said Said head 1n advanee 0f Said base and having itsrehead having a cutting or disintegrating means for remov- Celvlng130111011 dlSPOSed Immediately t0 the I ear 0f Said ing material fromthe mineral face to provide a passage- Cutting or disintegrating meansfor receiving the disway in the matenal being mined to permit themachine to integrated material, and said conveyor having its dischamberimmediately to the rear of said cutting means said machine in advance ofsaid base and out of the path for receiving the dislodged anddisintegrated material of the latter, from said cutting means and aconveyor extending trans- 8 A mineral mining and loading machinecomprising versely of said mobile base and along the bottom of said amobile base, a mining head pivotally secured to sal-d a mnble base, amining head pivotally Secured to sald removing material from the mineralface to provide a outwardly beyond Said one end 0f ald mobile base saldtically relative to said mobile base, a conveyor carried head having aending 01 dls1ntegraung meafls for remov' 65 by said head in advance ofsaid base and having its lng material from the mmel'al face t0 Provlde aPassage' receiving portion disposed in a relatively low position Way 1nthe material helng mined l0 Permlt the machine below the top of saidbase immediately to the rear of t0 advanee, means for adluslmg Sad headVemcauy, rela said cutting or disintegrating means for receiving theChamber fnmedate1y to the rear o? said Cutting means 70 charge portionat one side of said head to elect disber and operative to convey thematerial collected in (References on following page) References Cied inhe 111e of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Coal Age, O -Mylewskiz Feb.21. 1957.

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Bri-tain Sept. OTHER REFERENCES ctober 19511;pages 8286. German application 1,002,715, printed

